John Joseph Fahy

On November 6, 2023, John Fahy, 80, of Toronto, Ontario, passed away peacefully at Kensington Gardens Hospice. On that evening, the clouds lifted, and the Celtic stars ushered him to heaven. John was the youngest of three children born to Gerald and Mary Fahy on May 13, 1943, in Paisley, Scotland. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Luton, England to follow the work. He was raised there in Luton, England, and the whole family worked at various times at Vauxhall Motors. At the age of 17, John even started a 5-year apprenticeship at Vauxhall and would often refer to the family unit as a “true blue Vauxhall Family”. The times were the early 1950’s and England was rebuilding after a very impactful World War. It was also the place that gave all 3 children the drive they needed to look beyond the shores of England. Before he even thought of working at Vauxhall though or branching out into the world, John found football (soccer to us North Americans) and his skill did not go unnoticed. At the age of 13 a scout from Luton Town Club approached his parents and asked if John would be interested in playing. John then moved on to Letchworth Town and then Bedford Town. It was here, in 1964, that John contributed to one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history to that date. Bedford was in the Southern League, and they were scheduled to play Newcastle United of the Second Division in the 4th round. The Bedford team were massive underdogs, but they went on to win 2 – 1 and John headed in one of the goals and assisted on the other. The Newcastle fans were so upset that the Bedford team had to get a police escort back to the train. John became an instant celebrity in his hometown. Two weeks after the win over Newcastle United John was signed professionally to play for Oxford United between 1964 and 1966, making a total of 23 league appearances and scoring 14 goals. In 1967, he played in the Southern Football league again with Margate. The following season he played in South Africa's National Football League with the Germiston Callies Football Club for four seasons. John decided to move to Canada with his family and played for the Toronto Metros in the NASL It was with this team that John had the honour of playing against the great Pele during an exhibition match with Santos of Brazil in 1972 at Varsity Stadium. In 1973, John joined Toronto Hungaria where he finished as the league’s top goal scorer. John finished his soccer career in 1975 playing for Toronto Italia. Later in life, John was a huge fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs but was so elated when Luton Town Football Club was elevated to the Premier League in the 2022-2023 season. John was also successful in his post soccer career where he joined the work world in Canada. John carved a high-profile career in sales and marketing for such organizations as United Foods, Cara Retail, Metro Toronto News and Warner Publishing Services. During that time he was the point person for various celebrities promoting their books, which included Sophia Loren and Dorothy Stratton. John saw an opportunity to relocate to Australia to work with his brother Gerry and sister-in-law Mary to build the McDonald’s brand down under. From 1986 to 1999, John and his wife Lynda were franchises licensees for McDonalds in Mayfield, Australia. John’s claim to fame was co-inventing the McOz, loaded with beetroot and onions, and is celebrated every Australia Day. After his foray into McDonald’s, John decided that public service was his calling and served on Newcastle, NSW, City Council. During his tenure he was Chairman of the Sports Advisory Panel and served as Deputy Mayor for a period of time. John is predeceased by his beloved older sister Cathy O’Flynn (nee Fahy) and his brother and mentor Gerry Fahy (Mary). John is survived by many loving members of his immediate and extended family. There is his eldest son, Jason; daughter Sally; and, youngest son James (Kayla). His greatest legacy is his granddaughter Rowan who lives in Australia and John was so proud to meet her and spend time with her. He also leaves behind his adored nieces and nephew, Erin, Patrick and Donna. John will be deeply missed by his close friend Kate and his ex-wives, Angela (Muckleston) and Lynda (Herlihy). Leaving to mourn John will also be many lifelong friends across the globe, extended family members and countless other people who meant the world to John. There are too many to name here but they should all know that they meant the world to him. We would like to thank the cancer centres at both Sunnybrook Hospital (Odette Centre) and Princess Margaret Hospital and the many doctors, nurses and technicians who helped John along his medical journey. We would also like to thank the tremendous staff at Kensington Gardens Hospice for comforting John on his final journey with dignity. Please honour John’s memory by donating to either the Sunnybrook Foundation or the Kensington Gardens Hospice.